LGBT rights in Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
 Northern Ireland (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green) | |
| Status | Always legal for women; decriminalised for men in 1982 Age of consent equalised in 2001 |
| Gender identity | Right to change legal gender since 2005 (UK-wide) |
| Military | LGBT people allowed to serve openly since 2000 (UK-wide) |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender reassignment protections, rarely enforced and with religious exemptions |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Civil partnerships since 2005 (UK-wide) Same-sex marriage since 2020 |
| Adoption | Full adoption rights since 2013 |
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Northern Ireland enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBT people. However, the advancement of LGBT rights has traditionally been slower than the rest of the United Kingdom, with the region having lagged behind England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland was the last part of the United Kingdom where same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised, the last to implement a blood donation “monogamous no waiting period” policy system for men who have sex with men and, after intervention by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the last to allow same-sex marriage.[1][nb 1] Compared to the neighbouring Republic of Ireland, all major LGBT rights milestones had been reached earlier in Northern Ireland, with the exception of same-sex marriage. Homosexuality was decriminalised in Northern Ireland a decade earlier and civil partnerships were introduced six years earlier.[3][4][5][6]
Most liberalisation of LGBT rights in Northern Ireland has been achieved under direct rule by the Government of the United Kingdom, British parliamentary legislation or court decisions rather than through laws passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly.[7] This is due to the veto power exercised by opponents of LGBT rights, such as the Democratic Unionist Party, under Northern Ireland's power-sharing system.[8][9][10] In 2017, ILGA rated Northern Ireland last place in the United Kingdom for LGBT people, with 74% equality of rights compared to 86% LGBT equality in the United Kingdom overall and 92% equality in Scotland,[3] but above the Republic of Ireland which was ranked 52% the same year.[11]
Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1982 and the age of consent was equalised for all forms of sexual activity in 2001. Civil partnerships have been available for same-sex couples since 2005. Same-sex couples were granted full adoption rights in 2013. Same-sex marriage was introduced in 2020. Since 1 September 2020, religious and church same-sex marriage and weddings have been permitted in Northern Ireland.[12]
- ^ "Gay Marriage Around the World". Religion & Public Life Project. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Sark to legalise same-sex marriage from 2020". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ a b Haydn Jones, Aled. "Is Belfast the worst place to be gay in the UK?". BBC Guides. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Tatchell, Peter (26 June 2015). "Time to End the Gay Bans in Northern Ireland". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ McDonald, Henry (24 May 2015). "Northern Ireland under pressure after Irish gay marriage referendum win". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ McGrath, Dominic. "From today, same-sex marriage is now legally recognised in the North". The Journal. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ Livingston, McKenzie (1 January 2003). "Out of the "Troubles" and into Rights: Protection For Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals in Northern Ireland Through Equality Legislation in the Belfast Agreement". Fordham International Law Journal. 27 (4): 1207. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ Godfrey, Chris (27 November 2015). "The Fight for LGBT Rights in Northern Ireland". QX Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Hoare, Liam (27 May 2015). "What Ireland's Same-Sex Marriage Vote Means for Northern Ireland". Slate. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Scott, Brendan (8 February 2017). "Is Northern Ireland Nearing a Gay Marriage Watershed?". Vice. Vice Media LLC. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ "Rainbow Europe Map and Index 2017 - ILGA-Europe". 17 May 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "NI: Same-sex religious weddings allowed from September 2020". Irish Legal News. Irish Legal News Ltd. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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